Picture used for illustrative purpose only.

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

The Government Office of Sharjah Ruler’s Office has suspended all church services until further notice beginning March 12 (Thursday).

The March 11, 2020 memorandum was signed by Ruler’s Highness Special Projects director Edwin Maria Arasu and addressed to St. Michael’s Catholic Church (Al Yarmook, Sharjah) parish priest Rev. Fr. Varghese Chempoly OFM Cap.

A choir pictured amid a congregation during a church service.

“As part of the precautionary and preventive measures taken to reduce the possibility of transmission of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as per instructions received from Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Manager of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs (Sharjah Branch), tomorrow onwards all Church services and prayer gatherings are to be suspended until further notice.”

With the recent outbreak of Covid 19 and UAE recording 74 cases, precautionary measures are put up to curtail the spread of the virus.

Since the outbreak in UAE, 17 people have been reported to have recovered in the country.

The Ministry of Health and Protection confirmed that the UAE’S handling of the cases. From diagnosis until recovery, reflects the strength of its health care system.

Infected people in the UAE are dealt with in accordance with the highest health standards and kept under close observation and the care of the specialised medical teams.

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Since the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan China, more than 120,000 cases have been recorded globally.

Growth of global trade in services has weakened at the start of 2020 as the coronavirus hits the global economy, notably air travel and container shipping, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday.

The Geneva-based trade body said its services trade indicator fell to 96.8 from the 98.4 reading reported in September. Readings of less than 100 indicate trade growth below medium-term trends.

The WTO said the new figure did not fully take into account the economic impact of the new coronavirus and could decline further in the coming months.

The largest declines were for passenger transport and shipping, with financial and IT services also below trend, although construction was broadly unchanged.